The subcompact car market may be shrinking, at least from the relative highs it reached in the midst of the Great Recession, but that doesn't mean there aren't a great crop of city-friendly cars to choose from nowadays. Quite the contrary, in fact, as even traditional value propositions like the Hyundai Accent are getting better with every iteration.

Meet the new Accent, and though it may look a lot like the old one, this is a full redesign of Hyundai's most affordable car. The front and rear end get a similar treatment to the Elantra sedan, while the whole car increases slightly in length and width.

The interior is revised as well, with a similar (but a bit more fun) setup to the Elantra, and the Accent sports a 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, basically all the infotainment system you'd ever really need. There's also heated front seats and an available safety system with automatic emergency braking. Pretty potent for a petit player.

Mechanically, the chassis is over 30-percent stiffer thanks to more high-strength steel, and the updated 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine makes 132 horsepower and 119 lb.-ft of torque, which is actually slightly less power than the current model, though Hyundai claims it is up to seven percent more efficient than before.

The 2018 Accent offers a modern, driver-focused interior with high-quality soft-touch materials and an available seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone projection technology.

(Hyundai)

The two transmission options are a six speed manual or automatic, and the only powertrain is front-wheel-drive, as economy cars are wont to have.

While Hyundai hasn't released official pricing figures or an on-sale date, expect it to be similar to the current Accent's puny MSRP of $14,745. That's a lot of car for not much money at all, and though Americans aren't buying subcompact sedans, perhaps value this good will make us reconsider.